Guidelines for PowerPoint Presentations

Content

 Title slide: The first slide should show the title of your project, the names of the
researchers, the class name, instructor and year.
 Introduction: This should resemble the information you would include in an
introduction to a lab report.  Summarize what is known about the question you
researched.  Explain what your experiment was designed to answer, and why this
question is important. You should also state your hypothesis.  Don't skimp on this
part; it is important for capturing the interest of your audience, and it shows that you
understand the topic.  It is also helpful to include graphics.
 Methods: Summarize, preferably in diagrammatic or flowchart form, your
experiment.  Do not put the detailed protocol of your experiment on a slide.
   Results:  Include all relevant figures, diagrams and tables in this section.  Make the
figures as large as possible.  Include figure legends, although they may be brief if you
include this information in your talk.  Make sure each figure has a title, and that lanes
on a gel or panels of figures are labeled.  If you include tables, keep them simple.
 Discussion:  Summarize your findings and interpret your data. Do not include big
paragraphs of text; instead, use an outline or bulleted list.  If there is more than one
possible explanation for the results you obtained, state them all and then explain
which one you prefer and why.  If your results are not what you expected, explain
why.  Make sure to discuss any current research that supports or refutes your
findings.  Discuss how you would improve and expand the experiment if you were to
repeat it.
   References:  List all the references that you used for the presentation in alphabetical
order.

General Guidelines and Appearance:

 Computer presentations should not contain full paragraphs of text.  Use a bulleted list
or outline format and elaborate on the points in your talk.
   Every slide should contain a title that summarizes the information presented on the
slide.
 Type that is projected on a screen should be in sans serif type (like Arial or
Helvetica). This is because in the projection process letters lose some of their
sharpness, and serif type (like Times) can look muddy when projected.
 Use large fonts, as big as realistically possible. Small fonts are hard to read.  Along
the same lines, don't put more than a few lines of text on a slide.
 Use contrasting colorsãeither a dark background with light text or a light background
with dark text.
 Avoid busy backgrounds that will make the text hard to read. Keep the background
simple.
 AVOID ALL CAPS! All caps look like you're shouting.
 Include a good combination of words, pictures, and graphics. Variety keeps the
presentation interesting. 

Style
 Don't read from the slide-- vary your choice of words.
 Don't talk to the screen; maintain eye contact with the audience.
 Use a laser pointer to indicate salient features of the slide as you speak.
 Speak loudly and articulate